How are we as Pakistanis any better at treating our minorities?
The recent tensions between India and Pakistan have made things much uglier than usual. Bigotry is now taking place out in the open and even being encouraged on both sides of the border.
Since last night a video from India has gone viral where two Kashmiris are being beaten up by Indian men in Saffron Kurtas in the city of Lucknow.
The video is honestly hard to watch. The Kashmiri dry-fruit sellers minding their own business are punched, slapped and beaten with sticks. A few of those passing by come and try to protect them but the entire incident is sad to watch.
SHOCKING: Some goons in saffron kurtas throttle, assault a Kashmiri dry fruit seller in Lucknow. Passersby come to rescue of the Kashmiri. Case yet to be registered.
Hope @Uppolice @Igrangelucknow @lkopolice register an FIR and jab these goondas at the earliest. pic.twitter.com/zXjI3Anh2n
— Prashant Kumar (@scribe_prashant) March 6, 2019
The men who attacked the Kashmiris were arrested and the victims thanked authorities for their action as well.
WATCH: You saw them getting THRASHED and ASSAULTED, now listen to their version of the story. Both thank police for the action taken, we are happy that the men who assaulted us have been arrested. pic.twitter.com/NrSKUDObWF
— Prashant Kumar (@scribe_prashant) March 7, 2019
Of course, the clip made its way to our side of the border as well and people were quick to not just condemn the people in the video but call out Indians in general for their intolerant attitudes.
Thank you Mohammad Ali Jinnah for give us a separate homeland Pakistan otherwise these extremist Hindus treat us same way as like they are doing with Muslim in India and also with kashmiries
— Aown mohammad (@Aownmohammad2) March 7, 2019
Who’s the man in Red Jacket? Very rare Indian
— Sameer Khan (@SamKhan999) March 7, 2019
Do you see the reason why they react in Kashmir the way they do? In a secular democracy as old as India this treatment of its citizens is shameful and it should be a point of reflection on where the country is heading.
— Irfan Karim (@irfancarim) March 7, 2019
There were also those who appreciated the Indian man who came to the Kashmiris’ rescue and stopped those who were attacking them.
The guy who saved him looked and sounded like a real hero!! 👍👏
— Faraz Javed (@farazjaved66) March 6, 2019
It is very brave to stand up in such situations.
— Shah Waqar (@Dastaannn) March 7, 2019
In situations such as these, it is important to remember that there is always good where this is bad
While the incident took place in India, not all Indians were cheering it on. And there were a lot of sane voices that condemned the act by the attackers.
Disgusting. These illeterate goons need to be arrested immediately and taught a lesson. This is such a mindless and horrific act. Has @Uppolice arrested them already or not?
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) March 6, 2019
Let that Kashmiri know that this man has been arrested. He should know that Kashmir and Kashmiris are India and we respect them just like any other state in the country.
— Roshan Rai (@RoshanKrRai) March 7, 2019
This is sad, Kashmiris are our brother, they are not our enemy , terrorist picking gun is our enemies. Don't know why everytime such instances comes out , police remains mute spectator??
— MANJEET PATGIRI (@ManjeetPatgiri) March 6, 2019
But it’s really easy to see the worst in the others, especially with the current political climate.
As we condemn Indians for this attack on two innocent Kashmiri men, we should remember that things on our side of the border aren’t always peachy either.
The hate against minorities in Pakistan is worrisome; Ahmadis are not allowed in certain areas, Christians and Hindus are made targets and not respected as equal citizens.
The disgusting statement by now ex-Provincial Minister Fayaz Chohaan about Hindus is blatant proof that people in Pakistan can be just as intolerant of minority groups. It is important to keep in mind that there is good and bad on both sides of the border, using isolated incidents to show an entire nation as extremist does no one any good.
Fayaz-ul-Hasan Chohan, Minister of information & culture in Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province. He is referring to Hindus as "cow urine drinkers" & "idol worshippers". PTI should remove this joker from his post & charge him for discriminating against a religious minority. pic.twitter.com/0hNueDotbb
— Ammara Ahmad (@ammarawrites) March 4, 2019
Information received on social media should always be taken with a pinch of salt; with the internet, anyone can post anything they want online which makes it hard to verify what is true and what’s not. Everything you read online should not be taken at face value, as an informed and responsible citizen, it is imperative that you verify all the facts before you tell spread the information further.
Even information received from news outlets should be viewed with a healthy amount of skepticism.
People are even calling out the Indian media for how they vilified Kashmiris and are now preaching against bigotry when they themselves played a big part in it.
Yaar @TimesNow you don't get to Say #notobigotry etc when you have played a leading role in spreading that bigotry
— Zarrar Khuhro (@ZarrarKhuhro) March 7, 2019
Bit much for the same channels who vilify and slander all Kashmiris on a daily basis and hand out certificates of nationalist and anti-national to now pretend to be concerned about mob hate and frenzy . Hypocrites for sure.
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) March 7, 2019
In a time when bigotry is rife, it is important to keep our eyes and ears open to make sure the information you are further spreading is accurate.
What do you think about this entire episode? Let us know in the comments below.
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Cover Image Source: @scribe_parshant/@msshaanshahid via Twitter.com